Sometimes it's the little things. Sure -- it's gotten easy to find great coffee that's organic, bird-friendly, and Fair Trade in the average U.S. town or city, and the rBGH-free organic milk to drink it with. But what are the options to clean the coffee stains off of my mug? Usually some plastic scrubbie or abrasive pad -- which I'll have to throw away eventually. Contemplating that little scrubbie's carbon-emission-intensive journey to some landfill three states away, where it will join gajillions of other throwaway plastic whatsits in eternal unbiodegradable rest, is painful enough to keep my mugs looking dingy.
Enter the Sandclean, a biodegradable scrubbie. "Lasts a long time and does not break, tear or shed pieces which might otherwise remain on dishes or get into food...will not rust or hurt your hands like steel wool. Works great on tea or coffee stains in teapots and cups!" Sounds great! And it even comes in two grits for mild or tough cleaning jobs.
The Sandclean scrubbie isn't exactly cheap at $7.50 a pop. But it'll be nice to have stain-free cups without consigning another plastic scrubbie to the landfill.
Posted by: Joseph Willemssen on March 2, 2006 4:38 PM
In my experience, these are great for some things, not scrubby enough for others.
Posted by: Emily Gertz on March 2, 2006 5:05 PM
"In my experience, these are great for some things, not scrubby enough for others."
Huh - I've never felt that way. I tend to use mine primarily on iron cookware, since I don't use any soap with the tawashi. I can't remember a single time that a long soak in water and a the tawashi were insufficient for a job.
My problem with it is it's too scrubby for things like finer glassware and nonstick (non-iron) pans.
Maybe I'll give that Sandclean thing a whirl sometime soon and put it to the Chef Joe test. :)
Posted by: Joseph Willemssen on March 2, 2006 5:56 PM
Looks like a neat product. I stopped using steel wool and started using baking soda. Still need to use a sponge or a plastic brush (or sometimes my hand), so the problem isn't totally solved, but at least less chemicals are going into the water.
worldchanging was founded on the idea that real solutions already exist for building the future we want. it's just a matter of grabbing hold and getting moving.
Sometimes it's the little things. Sure -- it's gotten easy to find great coffee that's organic, bird-friendly, and Fair Trade in the average U.S. town or city, and the rBGH-free organic milk to drink it with. But what are the options to clean the coffee stains off of my mug? Usually some plastic scrubbie or abrasive pad -- which I'll have to throw away eventually. Contemplating that little scrubbie's carbon-emission-intensive journey to some landfill three states away, where it will join gajillions of other throwaway plastic whatsits in eternal unbiodegradable rest, is painful enough to keep my mugs looking dingy.
